Kountry Prince is king on record-setting opening night at Lexington sale

Posted on October 6, 2026 by Ken Weingartner, USTA Media Relations Manager

Kountry Prince topped Monday’s opening night at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, going to Åke Svanstedt for $825,000. Mark Hall/USTA photo.

Lexington, KY – Trotting colt Kountry Prince, a son of Walner out of Plunge Blue Chip, sold for $825,000 to Åke Svanstedt to top Monday’s (Oct. 5) record-setting opening session of the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale at the Fasig-Tipton Pavilion.

Monday’s session concluded with 111 yearlings selling for $22.18 million, good for a record average of $199,883. The previous record average of $190,547 was set in 2024, when 117 horses sold for $22.29 million. This year’s average bested 2024 by 4.9 percent and topped last year’s average of $181,675, for 120 horses, by 10 percent. The gross last year was $21.80 million.

Kountry Prince’s siblings – Kountry Plunge and Sonmar Pond – both are multiple stakes winners by Walner’s sire, Chapter Seven. Kountry Plunge, co-owned and trained by Svanstedt, won the New York Sire Stakes championship for 2-year-old female trotters last month. Svanstedt also trained Kountry Prince’s mom, millionaire Plunge Blue Chip.

Kountry Lane Standardbreds bred and consigned Kountry Prince, who is New Jersey and Kentucky eligible.

The colt was one of eight yearlings to sell for at least $500,000 on Monday. Another 14 sold for at least $300,000.

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